


Seasons

by kniightly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Jealousy, M/M, Second Year Kuroo, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-13 01:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2131374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kniightly/pseuds/kniightly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo and Yaku's road to discovering exactly what their relationship is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Caused It

The morning is crisp and the road familiar. I've walked it plenty of times the past year, but I can't shake the feeling that it should mean more to me than just the way to school.

Everyone's coming to or back to Nekoma with the idea that ' _this is the year when my life will change_ '. We're taught to think that way at the beginning of every year; it's the glimmer of hope that gets us up from weeks of sleeping in. But, to be honest, that's the last thing I want. It's not that I don't like change, I just feel as if my life had already shifted course enough the past year that it's fine the way it is. I joined the volleyball club and became the substitute libero, made good friends with two other first years, and I already found an academic drive and rhythm. If things kept going as they went last year, I'd be happy.

But, of course, life doesn't work that way.

\--

" _Hey, Yaku_."

"What?"

Kuroo's terrible at whispering and always has been, ever since the day I met him. By now, though, the teacher has given up on trying to get him to stop. He's always so persistent in leaning forward and not-so-quietly whispering to me. It's a nuisance and it interrupts my work and it's always for something pointless.

I like it.

"I have a surprise for you when we get back from break," he says with a sly smirk, teeth flashing enough to make me feel a bit on edge. It's not malicious in the slightest, but I can't help but feel that I should be on my toes.

Kuroo Tetsurou, unfortunately, is one of the two first years that I made friends with this year. The other is Kai Nobuyuki. Still, Kuroo is much closer to me than Kai and I think it's because he takes his studies more seriously and doesn't talk to me as much as Kuroo does. It doesn't bother me, though. According to Kai, I would be the same way if I could resist Kuroo's invitations for conversations. But ignoring him either had him whining and throwing notes to my head or looking like i just told him how much of a trash heap he was. Both of those consequences were things I didn't want.

You could consider us best friends, I suppose. With he and I in the same class and volleyball club, the time we had to talk was extensive and we grew close fairly quickly. We walked to school and back together, and we spent time together in the time between that. The only thing that irritated me was how, after he got home, he wouldn't answer any texts or calls until the next morning and apologize for it. I never pried into the reasons why, since it was easier to assume that he was tired and fell asleep upon impact with his bed.

Anyway, we're close.

That's why, when he introduced me to his best friend Kenma, I was speechless.

The black-haired boy didn't meet my eyes at all. I was left staring at him, suddenly hyperaware of every small movement and every shift of his finger against the sleeve of his shirt and every time he used the peripheral of his vision to check if I was still staring. I'm so sure that at this point I was wide-eyed and staring him down, even from his four centimeter advantage.

"Yaku Morisuke. Nice to meet you."

\--

For the first time, I don't talk to Kuroo.

We're still in the same class, but with what happened, I couldn't be more uncomfortable with that. I take my seat by the window quickly and fold my arms over it to lay my head down quietly. I didn't give Kuroo the opportunity to sit behind me this year, but the moment I closed my eyes to relax, I hear his voice.

"You didn't have to scare the little guy like that, you know. It took a lot of convincing to get him to come here!"

"Mm."

I can tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't really mad at me, but I don't feel relief. Did I even feel remorse? Having him sound so passive about the previous incident certainly didn't make me feel any better.

I look up and he's taken the seat in front of me, looking at me with an indecipherable smirk. When I don't react to it, his smirk loosens and he's left frowning at me with slightly parted lips. When I go back to looking out the window, he turns around in his seat.

The rest of the day just went on like that, save for a few moments when Kuroo decided to test the waters with me. But, as I wasn't in the mood to entertain him today, he just turned back around and I took my notes idly, even if they weren't many. I don't know why I had the need to look busy. I can't even bring myself to wait for Kuroo so we can walk to practice together, like we did last year. It's more than easy to shrug off the guilt of that, though.

Once I'm in the gymnasium, I greet everyone get dressed into my tracksuit fairly quickly. Kai even showed up, finally bringing a sense of familiarity to the day. I jog over to him with a grin and bump his shoulder with my fist to grab his attention.

"Kai! I was almost scared you weren't going to show up, haha."

He gives me a warm chuckle and his eyebrows create a crease on his forehead until he's smiling worriedly at me.

"I could say the same for you. Kuroo told me during lunch that you didn't look like you were in a good mood. I hope nothing was the matter," he said in his usual kind tone. Despite that, I cringe a little, hoping he doesn't notice. Just the mention of Kuroo brought me a sick feeling in my stomach. All I wanted to do was play today, to focus on the ball and nothing but the ball. Being here gave me a sense of being needed and as long I had that, I had nothing else to worry about. 

I ask Kai to help me practice and with him spiking, I break a sweat in no time. By the end of the hour, my knees and calves are starting to ache and I feel my knees quiver in uncertainty when Kai starts to jump. That split second of indecisiveness makes my receive sloppy and the ball ricochets off my forearms and to the wall.

"One more, K-!"

"Take a break, Yaku!"

There's a moment where I don't want to turn around at all, but I swallow that feeling down and turn to see Kuroo in the entrance, arm draped loosely of the new guy's shoulder. Kenma's. Rather than say anything in protest, I smile a little and take my water bottle from the side of the court for a brief drink.

"I thought all these practices were closed. Don't start breaking the rules on your first year as captain, Kuuro. Your team might start to lose respect for you."

The way he responds in his sly tone couldn't be more aggravating.   


"They _are_ closed. Kenma, here, is part of the team now."


	2. Old Habits Die Hard

Admittedly, it was wrong of me to leave practice early. But I wasn't exactly lying when I told the coach that I wasn't feeling well. I stomached about thirty minutes of the extended practice session, but I felt as if someone was squeezing up my insides the entire time...  
  
The night is warm but the breeze is cool and it's soothingly refreshing when it hit the remaining sweat on my skin. I take a moment to look at my phone and check the time about halfway on my walk back home.  
  
It's already seven.

 _The rest of the team should be making their leave now_ , I think.  
  
I toy around with my phone for another moment to look through it and notice the small blinking letter at the corner of my screen, indicating that I had a new message.  When I went to my inbox, there were exactly four messages. One from my mother, one from Kai, and two from Kuroo. I leave Kuroo's messages alone and answer my mother's first, answering her question of my status on the walk home. Kai's message is essentially the same thing, so I send him back the same "I'm fine". After that, my phone is quickly stuffed back into my pocket. Seeing as it's already dark when I get home, I'm careful not to make too much noise when I open the door and make my way upstairs to my room. The moment that the door's closed, I fall back into my bed with a sigh.  
  
There's a nagging thought in the back of my head telling me that I should look at the messages, but I easily resist. Instead, I save them for after dinner and the light amount of homework I have. Once I'm under the covers of my bed, readying myself for sleep, I reach over to grab my phone from the nightstand. This time, when I open my phone, there are three new messages. In order, they go as follows:  
  
 **\-- 18:52 --**  
 **From: Kuroo**  
whyd you leave so early??  
  
 **\-- 18:58 --**  
 **From: Kuroo**  
if youre feeling sick then you shouldnt have walked home alone  
  
 **\-- 20:37 --**  
 **From: Kuroo**  
yaku  
  
 **\-- 20:44 --**  
 **From: Kuroo**  
are you sleeping or something??  
  
 **\-- 21:05 --**  
 **From: Kuroo**  
goodnight to you too  
  
I'm torn with the decision of replying. For one thing, there's the chance that Kuroo's worried, but I also don't really have the willpower to reply. Curling myself up a little more under the sheets, I bring the phone closer to my face, my thumbs resting on the keys while I try to think up a passive reply to answer his questions. It's not long before I end up absentmindedly staring at the words, thinking until my vision became blurred and my eyes closed.

-

  
The next morning, I wake up to a dead phone beside me and a bit of dribble on the side of the palm that held my phone. That just reminded me that I still hadn't replied to Kuroo. I thought of it as pointless to answer the message now, seeing as I'd be in the same room as him in a few hours, so I left the my phone to charge a bit while I got ready for school.  
  
When I sit down in my seat in class that morning, Kuroo's already in his seat in front of me. It's _shocking_ and I take half a second to furrow my eyebrows and look at him, confused. Last year, he had the bad habit of coming late to school and managed to make me worry if he were coming to school that day or not each day he did. His early appearance today had me stunned. I was half-expecting him to turn around and talk to me, but I didn't get much of anything from him. We had a bit of time to kill before the teacher showed up, so I caved. Leaning forward, I put my head next to his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What, no remark about finally coming early? I thought you'd rub it in my face after all the nagging I put you through last year." I can't help the smile that comes to my face. It's a habit with him, something that's only natural after spending so much time with him. Kuroo's lips purse and he turns away from me long enough for me to start wondering if I said anything wrong. Before I know it though, he turns to me and gives me a grin.

"Shouldn't I be telling you that? With all that nagging, you should be giving me hell right about now." 

My curious expression falters and gives way to a deadpan and a small grumble. "You make me sound like I'm meant to lecture you as much as your mother does. I bet she finally got sick of you sleeping in so late. Tell me I'm wrong."

He does.

"Actually, you are. I came early because I wouldn't get the chance to talk to you if I came late. I was wondering why you went home so early. You didn't even answer my messages. Were you that ill or were you just that annoyed? I wanna know the truth this time." I don't have time to retort before he adds on that last bit. His expression is suddenly serious and slightly intimidating. It's uncomfortable to look at for so long, so I sit back in my seat, looking down at my desk. I speak softly, glancing up at him every so often.

"I don't know why I was feeling sick, honestly. I just really wanted to go home and lie down. I saw your texts on my way home last night too, but I guess I was just too tired to answer them and I didn't see the point in answering on my way to school this morning."

Kuroo isn't frowning at me when I look up and I take comfort in that. That is, until he lets out a long sigh through his nose. Sitting back, his shoulders fall and he slumps a bit against the wall behind him.

"You know, I really hope that the time we spent apart during the break didn't make you feel like I was some kind of stranger. I'm still your teammate and friend."

I squint.

"The way you're talking really makes me doubt that. When did you get all sentimental, huh?"

"Hey, I'm being serious, Yaku!!" 

"For some reason, I don't believe you. I think you're some impostor, honestly. Kuroo would _never_ say something so meaningful."

Time passes quickly once we start joking around and, before I know it, he has me laughing and smiling until my cheeks start to ache. It feels just like before; warm and familiar and like something I don't want to let go of.

Even after the teacher comes in and lessons start, we talk to each other with little notes, exchanging jokes and little drawings with each other. Kuroo passes the note to me one more time from under his arm before the break between classes and I take it after making sure that the teacher isn't looking. When the break starts, he turns to me and gives me grin, waving as he makes his way out. I watch him go before turning my attention to the folded paper in my hands. Opening it up with a small grin, I read his scrawled writing while I walk out the door and into the corridor.

_'Nice to see you acting like yourself again.'_

... Yeah. It felt nice too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who gave me feedback and kudos! It's really nice to know that other people ship this and want more!


	3. Don't Look Back

 I go home with a smile, embarrassingly enough. I'm sure that while I walk through the streets, people are staring at me like I'm some sort of lunatic. Still, that doesn't affect my mood. I'm happy.

 Unlike last night, Kuroo and I send messages back and forth about a variety of things. The transition goes from homework to a scolding to casual talk about our days. He even mentions the new first year that was joining our team.

  **\-- 22:13 --**

**From: Kuroo**

so what do you think of him?

**\-- 22:13 --**

**To: Kuroo**

Who?

**\-- 22:14 --**

**From: Kuroo**

kenma

**\-- 22:15 --**

**To: Kuroo**

Oh.

**\-- 22:15 --**

**From: Kuroo**

yeah

**\-- 22:17 --**

**To: Kuroo**

Well, I can't really say much. He's quiet though. Doesn't really seem like someone I would think would hang around you.

**\-- 22:17--**

**From: Kuroo**

i cant tell if i should be insulted

**\-- 22:18 --**

**To: Kuroo**

Try not to be.

**\-- 22:18 --**

**From: Kuroo**

hes been like that since we were kids so i don't expect much to change honestly

**\-- 22:19 --**

**From: Kuroo**

im just happy that he joined the team so he wont be glued to his phone yknow?

**\-- 22:19 --**

**To: Kuroo**

How long have you two known each other?

 This time, I wasn't bothered at the mention of the new guy's name. Kuroo spoke more about himself anyway. I was told stories and memories, ones that I've never heard before. I could even tell that Kuroo was excited to tell me about his friendship with Kenma because of the multiple paragraphs he sent. It made me smile a little.

 It turns out that Kuroo met Kenma as a child and, from the sound of things, they became close fairly quickly. Kuroo played with the boy regularly and even got him to join the volleyball team at their middle school. I find myself laughing at the thought of Kuroo pestering someone so incessantly. 

 I don't recall saying goodnight to Kuroo, so when I wake the next morning,  it comes as no surprise that my phone is dying and my alarm blares to warn me that I'm late. Before I put my phone to charge, I send a brief message back to Kuroo to explain my sudden disappearance.

  **\-- 06:50 --**

**To: Kuroo**

Sorry. I fell asleep.

 He didn't reply. He didn't need to. We still saw each other during class and lunch, but my phone vibrates in the middle of our meal.

  **\-- 12:22 --**

**From: Kai**

would you mind walking with me to the club room before practice? 

 It wasn't a question, I already knew.

The rest of the day goes on like countless others and, when the final bell rang, I advise Kuroo that I'd see him later before I run to meet Kai outside of his class. His demeanor was quiet and calm, and we walk in silence for about a minute before I start getting a little more suspicious of his intentions. Between the second years, Kai is the mediator. I have little patience when it comes to dealing with teammates, but Kai's seemed to be infinite.

 "How are you feeling?"

 I hum a little and shrug, answering him with a bit of a passive tone. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

 "You seem troubled during our last practice. "

 "Oh. That." Of course, that. After the scene I made, it's no surprise he asked. I let a deep breath into my lungs in an attempt to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, similar to the one a few days ago.  It worked for all of two seconds, but at least it was something. After another pause, my lips part to answer Kai. However, before my voice leaves my mouth, I feel his hand on my head and his fingers moving into my hair to ruffle it around. 

 It makes me feel small and ridiculous.

 "You should tell him how you felt. I'm sure doing that will make things better."

 The knot in my stomach decided to make it's presence known once more at Kai's words, so I ducked and moved away from his hand as quickly as I could. I refused to look at him. Nothing personal but, unfortunately for me, he can read me like an open book.

 "It was just—!"

  _Fuck._

 I feel my ears and cheeks burn hot when my eyes shoot up to meet Kai's. What did I just say? Like an open book. The guy even has the audacity to fucking laugh when he looks at me. I might look like I'm about to cry, but that doesn't stop me from being a little more than miffed. My words trip over themselves on the way past my lips, but I can't let him get the wrong idea.

 "It's not like that! I guess...," my shoulders move uncomfortably and my voice lowers. "I thought he and I were best friends, but I found out that he's much closer to Kenma. He's the first year Kuroo brought with him the other day."

 The silence lingered on again, but this time, I didn't feel a hand on my hand. It made me sort of happy, but the absence of it just made me believe that this conversation was taking a turn towards something that I didn't want to talk or even think about. When I look at him this time, he's quiet and calm, but... there's also a hint of something else in his face that I can't quite put my finger on. I decide not to ask him about it and leave it at that before I begin walking to the gym again. Kai follows close behind with the same expression lingering on his face, ever present.

Practice starts a little differently this time. We take a few moments to introduce ourselves to the first years, Fukunaga, Yamamoto, and Kenma. Kenma and Fukunaga are, for the most part, quiet, but I can't say the same for the third guy. We're stuck with the new guys, however, when the third years refuse to practice with them. I quickly slip my way past the loudest one and head for the wide-eyed boy, knowing full well that Kenma was Kuroo's and dodging the bit of guilt from dumping Yamamoto on Kai. He could tolerate loudmouths anyway, right?

 From what I can see, Fukunaga's average on all counts. His receives are more or less consistent and his spikes are just as accurate. Although, his extremely quiet and calm demeanor makes it so that I can't really tell if he gets excited or not. I brush it off as shyness and try to break the ice between us with compliments and tips, even patting him on the back a few times. It's not only good for him, but it helps to distract me from thinking or looking around the gym at the others. Still, there's always that split second where I catch a glimpse of Kuroo laughing with his childhood friend.

I purse my lips tight and look away as fast as I can when that happens.

The last time it happens, I see him walking to the club room with an arm draped over Kenma's shoulders. I watch them go, silently fumbling with the lower hem of my shirt as I attempt to ignore the tightening in my chest. It's an ugly feeling and it only gets worse when I turn and see Kai looking straight at me, brown eyes boring into my own. Like he sees something I don't.

I don't want him to tell me what it is.


End file.
